Norman Schwartz has built major brands and repositioned mature brands for over 30 years in the beverage industry. As International Creative Director at Doyle Dane Bernbach, he created innovative advertising campaigns for some of the most iconic brands at Seagram’s. As VP, Executive Creative Director for the Interpublic Group, he and others launched Diet Coke. Norman later joined MarketCorp Ventures, a consumer products venture capital fund, before starting Charron, Schwartz & Partners a mid-size brand development and advertising agency in 1989, representing clients such as Pernod Ricard USA. In 2002, the agency began working with W.J. Deutsch & Sons to launch a tiny unknown wine brand called [yellow tail]. Norman, as Managing Partner for Spud Partners LLC successfully launched Spud Vodka with Tracey Flood and Dean Stefanides. The company will announce shortly a strategic partnership with Russian Standard the global spirits company and second largest vodka supplier in the world.

Norman Schwartz

Dean Stefanides

Tracey Flood

Philippe Cassous

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Tracey J. Flood has been working in the wine and spirits industry since 2005. As Director of Operations, she manages the financial statements. Tracey is responsible for cash flow projections and assessing actual performance against the quarterly and annual budget. She manages all corporate minutes and shareholder records. Tracey works extensively on executing creative ideas and marketing management. She has worked with developers on the trade and consumer websites, designers on creative assets, and printers on production of point of sale materials. Tracey is a graduate of New York University. She recently completed her Master of Business Administration in finance and marketing from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business and was inducted into the international business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma.

Dean Stefanides. Dean has accomplished just about everything there is for an art director to accomplish: from winning countless creative awards to sitting on the board of The Art Director’s Club, The One Club and The Partnership For a Drug Free America and of course, his Co Op Dean landed his dream job at Scali, McCabe, Sloves in 1978 and never looked back. While at Scali, he worked on a wide range of accounts, from Cutty Sark and Mercedes Benz, to Purina, Perdue Chickens and Volvo. In 1993, Dean co-founded Hampel/Stefanides which eventually grew to $150 million. Dean eventually teamed up with Norman Schwartz to launch Yellow Tail Wine, one of the most successful new product launches in the wine and spirits space. Before reuniting with Norman to launch Spud Vodka, Dean at Cramer-Krassalt Hampel Stefanides was the creative director for Patrón Tequila. Dean resides in New York City with his wife Maureen and their seven dogs and three cats. He fully understands Greek, and can say a handful of helpful expressions, such as “hello”, “goodbye”, and “may I pet your goat?”

Philippe Cassous has worked in various sales and marketing positions for global wines and spirits companies for over 20 years . He worked for Pernod Ricard for ten years. First as off premise sales director working with leading European supermarket chains. In 1993, he came to the US to work for A. Lichine wine merchant , selling and promoting Bordeaux top Classified growth wines in more than 35 states. As VP of Marketing for Austin Nichols, he helped launch Jacob’s Creek Australian wine and Jameson Irish whiskey, which both turned out be successful brands. He later worked for Gallo winery in Modesto to launch Rancho Zabacco Zinfandel . As EVP event marketing for Schiefelin and Somerset , he and his team created and implemented the first ever Johnny Walker brand ambassador program nationwide as well as numerous experiential on premise events for Moet et Chandon, Hennessy and Ciroc . He is now working on wine profiles with different wineries in California, France and Spain. Philippe has a Master in Law, a degree in American literature and graduated from the Bordeaux Business school.